Great b-sides! - 90%

The Wickerman is one of the stronger tracks on Brave New World, as it nicely combines the elements of old and new Maiden. It's fast and very catchy, and it of course features the outstanding sing-along chorus. The video included here is one of Maiden's better ones, certainly nice departure from the standard live style that characterizes most of their recent videos.

The real treats here, however, are the b-sides. We get to hear a couple of songs from the Blaze era, sung by Bruce Dickinson, and as both of them are fast and up-tempo, his vocals are more suited. It gives a little insight into how the Blaze albums would have sounded with Maiden's best singer. The other two songs are much older, and while Killers has been a b-side twice before, it's a song one never gets tired of hearing. Powerslave is another oldie they brought back for the 1999 reunion tour, and its always been a favorite of mine.

All in all this is a great single, and a great release to re-introduce Bruce. My only complaint is that the alternate, radio-edit, of Wickerman should have been included, since it is a bit hard to track down.